Balanced/Unbalanced?

D

dudelysses

New member
Since I started recording I have been D/I'ing my guitar, because I thought that it would make little difference whether I put it directly in or if I mic'ed it. Apparently I was very wrong.

So now I want to record via mic, but I need to isolate the amp from the drums, and for the closest area that I could isolate it I would need about a 30 foot patch cable for my guitar and about a 20 foot XLR for my mic.

From what I have gathered, guitars cables are unbalanced and XLR cables are balanced. What do "balanced" and "unbalanced" mean? Will this affect the quality of the guitar signal, or the quality of the mic signal? If it will affect the sound, is there any way to counteract it, or are there any other options? (I am mainly worried about the 30 footer)
 
A balanced signal means that the audio signal is sent using 2 conductors. Both conductors carry the exact same signal, but in opposite phase. This means any noise picked up by the cable will be in phase on both conductors. When the signal arrives at the input the signals on the line are put back in phase, canceling any noise. Therefore, much longer runs can be made with balanced cables and not risk adding lots o' noise. Unbalanced on the other hand just uses a single conductor. 30 feet is probably getting close to the maximum length you want to run a guitar signal, but you should probably be alright. In the world of electromagnetic fields it's usually easiest just to try it and see.
 
I caught myself actually writing a response in detail, I took a break surfed the web for a minute and found this site which does a great job of describing the differences. http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/balanced-vs-unbalanced-interconnects

Bottom line, your guitar is an unbalanced device and you can't change that. Balanced circuits coupled with balanced cables have an advantage over longer distance and are better able to resist induced noises. 30' is nothing when using mics and balanced cables, instrument/unbalanced cable can be a problem if you've got a lot of electronics or if you're in an area where you have a lot of stray RF or live in an area where there are radio/television broadcast stations. It's going to be hit or miss. All you can do it give it a try.
 
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